Improvement in connecting-clamps for the plates of galvanic batteries



N 'UNTD-f;STMUSb PATENTOFFICE FCHARLESYT-.CHESTER OFNEWXORK, "ff:

y .y[g:iMPRcvEMtNT lllxcoNNEcTiNG-CLAMPS 'toa THEPLATE'S or GAD/AmcyBATTERIES. l i' Spearman@ fdmigpart er Letters Patent A1410512.85a',dated May 15, 1855;

To all whomtt may concern: i

of the city,'county,and State of'New York, have invented a new anduseful Improvement" in insulating the Plates of Galvanic-Batteries; landIdo hereby declare the following to be -a full description ot' the same.o

The nature of lmy inventionconsistsin the use and combination of ,brassclamps with in# sulated wooden supports, so that the plates immersed -inthe exciting duid are insulated from eachother, local action in thebattery prevented, and the plates can be removed, cleaned,

eration of changing plates in the battery.. Fig.

4 is a section of the insulating rod and clamp relative to its positionwith the tumbler.

Letter A is a piece of highly-insulated wood having secured to it atopposite sides clamps B B, for holding the zinc and platenized plates ZIand P in their respective positions in the exciting-duid contained inthe tumbler T. (See dotted outline, Fig. 1.)

Letters s s are binding-screws for forming connections by wire from oneseries of cups to another. i

Letter Ofand Orepresent one form of clam pv used to insert a duplicateplate in the battery duid while the otherl is removed. Thus, C is placed'over and upon the insulating-rod A and clamp B, and held in thatposition by means of the binding-screw e, while the clean or auxiliaryzinc plate .Z2 is screwed into the clamp C2, so.

as to dip into the same acid which Z dips. Z' is then removed, cleaned,and replaced, and the battery-current will not have been disturbe Thedotted outline in Fig. 1 represents the relation of these parts.

Be it known that I, OHRLSL T. CiEsT-it,

To charge my batteries I make asolution of one part sulphuric acid addedto nine parts of water, which-lis placed in tumblers of nearly twoquarts capacity,`to act upon the plate of zinc and platina or platenizedmetal. The size of these plates are seven inches long and ofproportionate width, according to quantity of electricitydesired foruse.` The plates are such as those generally used in galvanic batteries.

The insulating wooden rod A may be made of any extent required. For thebatteries I use'v is of great value) Iprefer using the single andauxiliary clamp', Fig. 3.

lI insulate the upper parts of my platenized plates, except whereconnection is formed by the binding-screw, by baking with copal varnish,thus cutting oft' in a great measure the ei'ect of capillary action,which causes the acid solution, (especially after 4being partly mixedwithsulphate of zinc,) to creep up the plate and attack the brass clampsand wood-work; but I do not consider that the insulation by varnish,however carefully performed, would entirely prevent local actionproduced by theetlect of capillary attraction, especially when thebattery has been in long or careless use; but I rely especially upon theconstruction of Ymy brass clamps, which, however varied in formand'design, always'1e1nbrace-the batteryplates in a metallic chamber,cutting them off `from contact with the wood-work, and thus,

when the battery is neglected or used very se- `verely,zinc salts mayaccumulate in almost any quantity about the tops of the plates and Vyetthe salt and moisture shall all be conned in the metallic cell, and thewood-work remain dry and insulated.

The other insulating devices that l have described or shall describearevaluable auxiliaries against local action and against externalinjury, -such as the spilling water or acid upon the battery itself oron the shelves which sup.

port it; but asia guard against the tendency of the battery to createlocal action withinvitself by` its non-operation, and asa natural effectof its continued use, I rely mainly upon `the metallic chamber form ofthe platesup- `porting clamps.

The wooden insulating-rod A is insulated-by means A of varnishes, whichis forced into its' pores by the pneumatic apparatus or other sui tablemeans.

My tumblers on the lower part are coated with Faradays electrophorous.By this means I cut oil' intercommunication between the sur faces of theglass cells. The advantages dcrived from these arrangements are thcprevention of local action in theindividual cells and cross-tire betweendifferent cells, the ability to take-down and clean the battery Withoutinterrupting the iiow of the current, and the power it gives theoperator ot' arranging with the greatestdispatch the quantity ofelectricity desired. I have had this arrangement ot' battery in use vemonths without being taken down'or interrupting the current otelectricity, the zines being substituted by means ot the be separateyfrom the Wooden bar and the solution be prevented from finding its wayby.

capillary attraction to the wood, and which shall by their forrn'allowot' an easy removal and replacement of each separate plate with out thedisturbance of any other part of the batterynrran gement, as hereinaboveset forth.

.CHARLES T. CHESTER.

Witnesses J. M. BALDWIN, WOODBRIDGE HUDSON.

